Extendable structures are a common occurrence and have applications in the industrial, commercial, consumer, and military markets. For example, an extendable structure may be used to position a cutting torch. The structure could also be used as an adjustable stop for locating material coming off of a conveyor. In a different application, the extension of the structure could engage in a properly sized hole, thus serving as a locking mechanism. Another example may be to mount electronic packages on an extendable structure including sensor devices, antennas, cameras, microphones, or the like for collecting data and/or transmitting data. Additionally, it could be used for entertainment or show purposes such that a structure may rise out of a stage or platform.
Various methods of producing extendable structures include telescoping structures, adding discrete sections to extend a structure, or a scissor-like structure. These structures, however, have limited final length based on the initial structure length, have non-uniform exteriors, have discrete length intervals, and/or require large footprints.